I recently happened upon this little blog called "The Bitter Lawyer." The first entry I read was "10 things you will do while studying for the bar. You can read the full explanation of these 10 reasons here.
But, if you are like me, and you are actually studying for the bar (or you just don't care to read the explanation) here are the 10 reasons with my commentary: [I would advise you read the explanations as some are quite hilarious.]
1. Fail a practice exam
Well friends, as much as I hate to admit it, I have been failing practice exams since day one of bar study. Unfortunately, I must also say, I have yet to 'pass' a practice exam yet, and we are in week 5 of 10... something has to give at some point - right???
2. Resent anyone who says you will pass
This could not be a more true statement. Just like the article says, friends and family constantly remind me that I am smart and successful when I explain the chance that I may fail, just from the sheer volume of information that I am attempting to cram into my little head. And, just like the article says, there are times that when faced with what the person means as a complement, it only results in 'blood-boiling rage' as the tensions mount as the exam approaches. I have to say, I appreciate the encouragement, and so far, the complements haven't caused me any blood boiling rage. However, stating 'I know what you are going through' is far from true unless you have sat for a bar exam - if you haven't, please refrain from making such statements. :)
3. Abandon something you normally do
For me, I'm not quite sure what this is yet. Maybe stalking on Facebook? Maybe playing on Pinterest finding the best new recipe to try and making a HUGE shopping list for the grocery store? No, I know what it is - I have stopped cleaning my house, and I have stopped doing laundry. Lucky for me, I have an AMAZING hubby who doesn't mind picking up the slack. [He may disagree and say I didn't give this up because I never did these things before, but don't let him fool you.] I have also given up going home early, sleeping in late, and enjoying a 'day off.' Oh, and I have also given up any free time, hanging out with friends, enjoying summer and going on fun trips to random places (such as the beach). But it's only for 10 weeks right? I just pray I can return to a normal life after this madness is over...
4. Buy something ridiculous
This has yet to happen - that I am aware of. I did look for five minutes (yes only five) on PetFinder in hopes of finding little Nugget a new playmate - but I believe this was because of the destruction spree she went on for a few days (which ended with her spending a few days in 'puppy prison'). I did find a puppy just like Nugget (with different colors), but I did not purchase the puppy, nor did I pass the information along to the hubs in hopes that he would purchase it for me, I mean for Nugget. I have my hands full with her alone - we certainly don't need another one! So back to the matter at hand, I have yet to make a ridiculous purchase - I still have 5 weeks to ensure this happens, or at least justify it when it does...
5. Have some kind of sleep issue
If you count random dreams about outlines, making note cards and multiple choice questions, then I have already achieved this. If that doesn't count, maybe 'waking up' and telling your husband all about wills counts - except that you don't remember doing this, and you are sure that he is making things up to make you think you are going crazy. Maybe it is lack of sleep - for instance, staying up til 2:30am last night printing out note cards? Or falling asleep on the couch, curled up with the Nug after doing 30 multiple choice - while the entire time you were doing the questions, you just kept telling yourself, 'you can take a nap after you get through them and if you get a decent amount correct.'
6. Gain or lose weight
I'm not about to step on a scale to figure out which, if either of these, I have achieved or am on the path to achieving. One thing I know for sure, I have attempted to stick to a gym routine - at 6 or 6:30am every morning - which has fallen to the way side in the past few days, and the Seven 11 in the bar passage department's offices is not helping matters. Sometimes, I find myself munching on random things, and drinking caffeinated beverages, simply to stay awake during the lectures. After the lectures, I am generally ok, but then it his me that I'm tired, and back to the offices I go. I made a deal with myself last night (in my sleep) that this must end this week! Check back to see how that's going...
7. Pick up a weird habit
None of the 'weird habits' listed in the article are ones that I have notice. Maybe you will call it weird that I eat a peanut butter sandwhich (and only peanut butter) every day - well almost every day. But that isn't all that weird. Maybe it is that I have to have lemon juice in my water? Maybe it's that I color coordinate my planner every day to tell me what to do when (but that is just something I have always done). Maybe it is looking for 'brain foods' or 'brain vitamins' to help me function and have better memory recall? I do not know... but when I figure out what this is, I'll be sure to let you know - and if I don't figure it out, I'm sure the hubs will and will let me know! :)
8. Drink alone
Almost every night, after I get home around 8:30 or 9, the hubs and I have dinner and that is usually followed by an 'adult beverage.' Or we will sit on the porch and just chat while waiting for dinner to be ready and enjoy such a beverage. Either way, I can say that almost every night, not every night, we have a glass of wine or a beer - but mostly wine. It is a nice way to end the evening and from what I hear, a glass of wine a day keeps your heart healthy - so the way I see it, I'm keeping myself healthy! :)
9. Have a weird run-in with a stranger
According to the article, "You will dress terribly, shower rarely, and be either too thin or too fat for your current clothes." If you have seen me lately, you will know that I have been wearing sweats to school more than normal (I love sweats, but it has become something I do almost every day now as opposed to once or twice a week). I'll leave the 'shower rarely' to your imagination - but I make it a point to shower every morning - especially after the gym so as not to annoy those around me with a stench. I am not saying that as the time draws closer I may give this up (see number 3 above) but as for now, I am almost always showered and ready for the day. As for the clothes not fitting, it's a girl thing - and changes daily. Some days clothes fit and sometimes they don't. Either way, it happens. As for a run-in with a stranger, there are rare occasions that I step outside of my bar-studying bubble and see the world around me. This is rare, but when I do it, I am sometimes confronted with weird looks. Take for example this past Friday. I came home and was 'burnt' (according to the hubs). We decided to get take out from the Chinese place down the street and a Redbox (we also needed a bottle of wine to enjoy with our meal - see number 8). As he was checking out at the grocery store, I took the Redbox, and walked to pick up our dinner. As I was paying, I set the Redbox on the counter, and the girl asked me what movie I got from Redbox. I simply stared at her not knowing what to say and finally blurted out, "I don't know." She looked at me, confused, and said, "You don't know what movie you rented?" "No" I replied. "Oh" she says with the most confused look on her face. I quickly had to come up with something to recover from this, so I said, "My husband picked out something and handed it to me." She just nodded. This is clearly what the article was getting at - the 'outside' world doesn't get what you are going through and while we want them to understand and accept that at times I may just blurt out random statements of the law, you just have to go with it. So for those of you reading who I will be seeing over the next few weeks, you have been warned... :) As a side note, the movie we got was The Descendants and was a great movie. However, I wasn't convinced at the start when it began with the main character explaining that he was the trustee of some family land, and that a little thing called the rule against perpetuities was forcing him and the rest of those who were to benefit from the trust to sell the property or they would lose it in 7 years because the 21 year time frame had expired. [All things underlined are things of legal significance - all things I was trying to forget that night.]
10. Cry
This speaks for itself - I have cried and cried a lot. I cried the first week when I failed a practice exam. I cried again when I was stuck behind someone driving slow on my way to class. I also cried because I realized on my way to class that both of my black pens had run out of ink, and I didn't bring a new black pen with me. [These pens are amazing - they are pilot G-2s in the fine point - not the bold point.] I also cried when I got information about student loans in the mail. I cried when I realized that I was missing out on a fun weekend at the beach with some of my best friends. I cried explaining to my husband how I misread a sentence in my notes, which made learn a rule of law incorrectly. [I now know the proper rule and won't be missing that again.] I cried when my arm goes numb in the library and when my eye twitches from who knows what - perhaps caffeine? Anyways the point is, I have cried - A LOT... and it's only week 5...
So there you have it - the 10 things I have done or will be doing while studying for this miserable exam...
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